Merckx is not welcome because he has a doping history, Valverde is not welcome because he might have something to do with Puerto, Bettini is being accused,... As a result the ZDF threatens not to televise, the government want's to pull back their financial support.

But Zabel, who admitted doping!, is free to start!!

What ethics are behind these reasoning? What is the goal of these actions? Where is the logic?

This whole thing is making a joke of a wonderfull sport. Everybody is shooting at moving targets.
What we need is a clear leadership (UCI is failing dramatically), taking the right decisions (so that TV stations don't need to do this) and above all uses the same measures for every one.

The Germans (at least the Press and the TV) seem to be getting a bit hysterical about the doping problems.
And hypocritical to boot. The ARD/ZDF before pulling out of the TdF even sacked their normal expert (Marcel Wurst i think) because of questions over his background, and then went and hired Jeorg Jaksche in his place saying that as a 'reformed' doper his input was important.
JJ only owned up because the evidence from Puerto was so damning AND he was offered a large sum of money from a leading Magazine for his story. so much for his morals!
But don't think they only go for the non germans, during the German tour they (ZDF/ARD) were having pops at Voigt left right and centre.
I'd hate to be a german pro-cyclist right now.

They are all over the place. They want to be firm against doping and go about it all the wrong way by boycotting the sport and ex-riders. It's too ridiculous. Besides, who are they to be holier than holy and decide who is guilty and who is not. It would be funny if it wasn't sad and bad for the sport.

In my opinion, they should never have the World Champion Race in Germany again. They are not helping in any way. They are instigating and detracting from the sport. I wish that riders would band together on this and have a boycott. Let Linus Gerdman win.
Dont get me wrong. I dont like dopers in the sport either, but you have to have some evidence to keep some one from starting the race. Or like the previous post said, why let Zabel start, because as far as I know, he never served any suspension because to much time had passed.

According to CN- The Minister for Sport in Stuttgart Susanne Eisenmann said, "The championships won't be cancelled but we are unhappy with the situation," said Eisenmann. "After the great win by Kupfernagel yesterday, it is such a shame that all this is happening."

The real shame is that Germany is being blatantly ethnocentric to the point of suggesting they have the power to cancel the world championships.

I wonder what would have happened if Kristen Armstrong was 24 seconds faster? Would the Germans have boycotted her involvement because her last name is Armstrong? We all know they are unrelated but wasn't another Armstrong accused of doping by the great journalists Pierre Ballaster and David Walsh?

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